Illuminated writing instrument



Oct. 29, 1957 BARTLETT 2,811,632

ILLUMINATED WRITING INSTRUMENT Filed Aug. 8, 1955 4 INVENTOR.

EARL H. BARTLETT By 2.1.).

Patented Oct. 29, 1957 ice ILLUMINATED WRITING INSTRUMENT Earl H. Bartlett, Bountiful, Utah Application August 8, 1955, Serial No. 526,914

2 Claims. (Cl. 2406.46)

Generally speaking, the present invention relates to the writing instrument art and, more particularly, it relates to a selectively self-illuminable writing instrument which, in the present specifically illustrated form, is so designed as to provide self-contained light from the writing instrument directly upon the surface adapted to receive said writing.

While applicant is aware of the fact that a very consider: able number of self-illuminable writing instruments have been developed in the past, most of these are unnecessarily bulky and tend to diffuse the. light too widely across the writing surface making their use often more of a nuisance than an asset.

The present invention is so constructed as to direct the self-contained light from its source directly to the writing surface in a compact and extremely effective manner.

Generally speaking, the selectively self-illuminable writing instrument of the present:- invention may include: a

hollow (usually virtually circular) longitudinal'housing' having port means at the bottom end thereof, and selectively energizable lamp means positionable within. said hollow housing above said port means and spaced there-1 from. Also included is electric power supply means electrically cooperable with respect to the lamp means for selectively energizing said lamp means and physically co operable for mounting'relationship with: respect to said hollow housing, and centrally apertured light-piping means having an upper light reception end positioned within. said housing in optical juxtaposition with respect to said lampmeans and having a lower light output end positioned exterior of and below said port means, and a writing tool having a longitudinal upwardly directed shank portion mountable in the centrally apertured light-piping means with the writing tip means projecting downwardly therefrom below and encompassed by the light output end of said light-piping means.

From the above description of a preferred generic form of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that virtually all of the disadvantages of prior art selectively self-illuminable writing instruments are virtually entirely eliminated and overcome in and through the use of the present invention.

For example, the present invention is designed to keep the bulk of the whole instrument at a basic minimum, and the light-piping means is superior to prior art devices' With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a selectively self-illuminable writing instrument apparatus of cheap, simple, novel, easy-- to-operate and easy-to-maintain consrtuction capable of illuminating the writing surface to be used without the necessity of outside illumination.

Other and allied objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a careful perusal, examination, and study of the accompanying illustrations, the present specification and the appended claims.

To facilitate understanding, reference will be made to the hereinbelow described drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational View of one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, partial, longitudinal sectional view of aspect similar to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the device as seen from the left side of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the device seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3' with the writing tip and lightpiping means removed from the auxiliary housing, electric power supply means, switchmeans and lamp means.

Generally speaking, the selectively self-illuminable writing instrument of one form of the present invention includes: a hollow longitudinal (usually cylindrical) housing having a first port means at the bottom end thereof and a second port means at the upper end thereof, selectively energizable lamp means being positionable within said hollow housing between said first and second port means, said lamp means being provided with output lens means positioned thereunder whereby to project light conically downwardly therefrom. Also included is electric power supply means electrically cooperable with re spect to the lamp means for selectively energizing said lamp means and physically effectively cooperable with respect to the portion of said hollow housing adjacent said second port means for mounting relationship with respect to said hollow housing inaxially aligned relationship with respect thereto: extending from said second port means, and centrally apertured light-piping means having an upper light reception endpositioned within said first mentioned housing in optical juxtaposition with respect to said lamp means and having a lower light output end positioned exterior of and. below said first port means, said light reception endi comprises. upwardly concave surface means positioned below; adjacent to and partially encompassing the output lens of said lamp means. Also included is a writing tool having a longitudinal upwardly directed shank portion and a pointed downwardly directed writing tip portion, said shank portion, inone: of the preferred forms of the present invention, being removably mountable inlower insertion end 6 cooperable for insertion into'the' interior of the first mentioned housing 1 through said second port means 3 invirtually axially aligned relationship with respect thereto; the lower insertion end 6 of' said auxiliary housing 4 being provided with selectively energizable electric lamp means 7 positionable within the hollow' interior of said first-mentioned housing 1" upon insertion of said insertion end 6 of said auxiliary housing 4 into said second port means 3, and said lamp means 71 being provided with output lens means 8'positionedthere-- under whereby to project light conically downwardly therefrom. Electric power supply means 9 is carried within said auxiliary housing 4 and is electrically selec tively cooperable with respect to said lamp means 7 for selective energization thereof by switchmeans 10 (usually manually operable). carried by said auxiliary housing 4 and accessible from the exterior thereof and electrically connected in series with said electric power supply means" 9 and said lampmeans 7'. Said auxiliary housing 4', electric power supply means 9, switch means 10 and lamp means 7 comprise an assembly removable and" insertablei as a uniti with respect tosaid' second port means 3' of said'first-mentioned housingl (as illustrated in-Fi' gl 4').

One of the preferred forms of the present invention includes centrally apertured light-piping means 11 having an upper light reception end 12 positioned within said first mentioned housing 1 in optical juxtaposition with respect to said lamp means 7 and having a lower light output end 13 positioned exterior of and below said first port means 2, said light-piping means 11 consisting of a thermoplastic (in one of the preferred forms, Fosterite") resin light transmissive material having interior plasticair interface optical reflection characteristics such as to inhibit the passage of light from within said means through said plastic-air interface at the low angles of incidence of light originating from the lamp means 7 and passing longitudinally therethrough, said light reception end 12 comprising upwardly concave surface means positioned below, adjacent to and partially encompassing the output lens 8 of said lamp means 7 (as illustrated in Fig. l). The light output end 13 of said light-piping means 11 consisting of annular surface means lying in a plate virtually transverse with respect to the longitudinal axis of the writing tool 14 which has a longitudinal uwardly directed shank portion 15 and a pointed downwardly directed writing tip portion 16 (in the specificially illustrated form the writing tip portion 16 takes the form of a ballpoint pen, though it is not so limited), said shank portion 15 being removably mountable in the centrally apertured light-piping means 11 with the writing tip means 16 projecting downwardly therefrom below and encompassed by the light-output end 13 of said light-piping means 11.

Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art after a careful study hereof. All such, properly within the basic scope and/or teachings of the present invention are intended to be included and comprehended herein as fully as if specifically described, illustrated and claimed herein.

For example, the light-piping means although intended to be made of Fosterite in the form specificially illustrated, could, of course, be made of various other thermoplastic resin materials having high light-piping qualities.

For further example, the instrument may be contained in one continuous housing rather than in the first and auxiliary housings described herein.

The exact compositions, configurations, constructions, relative positionings, and cooperative relationships of the various component parts of the present invention are not critical, and can be modified substantially within the spirit of the present invention.

The embodiments of the present invention specifically described and illustrated herein are exemplary only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is to be interpreted in the light of the prior art and the appended claims only, with due consideration for the doctrine of equivalents.

I claim:

1. A selectively self-illuminable writing instrument, comprising: a hollow longitudinal housing having a first port means at the bottom end thereof and a second port means at the upper end thereof; a longitudinal hollow auxiliary housing having an upper end and a lower insertion end cooperable for insertion into the interior of the first mentioned housing through said second port means for frictional retention and positioning thereby in virtually axially aligned relationship with respect thereto, the lower insertion end of said auxiliary housing being provided with selectively energizable electric lamp means positionable within the hollow interior of said first mentioned housing upon insertion of said insertion end of said auxiliary housing into said second port means, said lower insertion end being substantially completely closed except for said electric lamp means prior to insertion of said insertion end into said second port means; said lamp means being provided with output lens means positioned thereunder whereby to projectlight conically downwardly therefrom; electric power supply means carried within said auxiliary housing; manually operable switch means V said auxiliary housing, electric power supply means, switchmeans and lamp means comprising a removable pressfit assembly frictionally removable and insertable as a unit with respect to said second port means of said firstmentioned housing by simple rectilinear translatory nonrotary movement; centrally apertured light-piping means having an upper light reception end positioned within said first mentioned housing in optical juxtaposition with respect to said lamp means and having a lower light output end positioned exterior of and below said first port means, said light-piping means consisting of a thermoplastic resin light transmissive material having interior plastic-air interface optical reflection characteristics such as to inhibit the passage of light from within said means through said plastic-air interface at the low angles of incidence of light originating from the lamp means and passing longitudinally therethrough; said light reception end comprising upwardly concave surface means positioned below, adjacent to and partially encompassing the output lens of said lamp means; and a writing tool having a longitudinal upwardly directed shank portion and a pointed downwardly directed writing tip portion, said shank portion being removable mountable in the centrally apertured light-piping means with the writing tip means projecting downwardly therefrom below and encompassed by the light output end of said light-piping means.

2. A selectively self-illuminable writing instrument, comprising: a hollow longitudinal housing having a first port means at the bottom end thereof and a second port means at the upper end thereof; a longitudinal hollow auxiliary housing having an upper end and a lower insertion end cooperable for insertion into the interior of the first mentioned housing through said second port means for frictional retention and positioning thereby in virtually axially aligned relationship with respect thereto, the lower insertion end of said auxiliary housing being provided with selectively energizable electric lamp means positionable within the hollow interior of said first mentioned housing upon insertion of said insertion end of said auxiliary housing into said second port means, said lower insertion end being substantially completely closed except for said electric lamp means prior to insertion of said insertion end into said second port means; said lamp means being provided with output lens means positioned thereunder whereby to project light conically downwardly therefrom; electric power supply means carried within said auxiliary housing; manually operable switch means carried by said auxiliary housing and accessible from the exterior thereof and electrically connected in series with said electric power supply means and said lamp means; said auxiliary housing, electric power supply means, switch means and lamp means comprising a removable press-fit assembly frictionally removable and insertable as a unit with respect to said second port means of said first-mentioned housing by simple rectilinear translatory non-rotary movement; centrally apertured lightpiping means having an upper light reception end positioned within said first mentioned housing in optical juxtaposition with respect to said lamp means and having a lower light output end positioned exterior of and below said first port means, said light-piping means consisting of a thermoplastic resin light transmissive material having interior plastic-air interface optical reflection characteristics such as to inhibit the passage of light from within said means through said plastic-air interface at the low angles of incidence of light originating from the lamp means and passing longitudinally therethrough; said light reception end comprising upwardly concave surface means positioned below, adjacent to and partially encompassing the output lens of said lamp means, said light output end of said lightpiping means consisting of annular surface means lying in a plane virtually transverse with respect,

to the longitudinal axis of the writing tool; and a writing tool having a longitudinal upwardly directed shank portion and a pointed downwardly directed writing tip portion, said shank portion being removably mountable in the centrally apertured light-piping means with the writing tip means projecting downwardly therefrom below and encompassed by the light output end of said light-piping means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS 2,261,320 Williams Nov. 4, 1941 Hettrick flu..- Dec. 22, 1953 Cook Apr. 19, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS France Apr. 16, 1951 France Sept. 10, 1953 France Oct. 4, 1954 

